


Big Brother

by tjlyricz



Category: Tangled (2010)
Genre: Adoption, Big Brother, Bullying, Festival of Lights, Gen, Orphanage, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, little sister - Freeform, lost princess, when Eugene was a child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:02:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28505673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tjlyricz/pseuds/tjlyricz
Summary: He was an only child. In some ways, he was happy about that. He didn’t mind being alone, and if he had had a sibling, he wouldn’t have been as happy. He would have to live the rest of his life knowing that his parents didn’t care about either of them. It made him feel less guilty when it was just him. But when he was with Jenny, he felt like an older brother, her big brother(A possible trigger for Eugene turning into Flynn Rider.)
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Original Child Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	Big Brother

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I have many ideas on what could have jumpstarted Eugene's shift to Flynn Rider. This is one of those ideas.

Greg had pushed Jenny again. This time, he pushed her so hard she fell and scrapped her knee. “Ow!” the seven-year-old girl yelped, bringing her leg to her chest.

The boy stood over her with a satisfied grin. “That’s what ya get when ya don’t listen ta me!” Greg walked over to Jenny. He began to pull on her ponytails, pointing and laughing at her.

Eugene had been playing hide-and-seek when he saw what Greg had done. “Time-out!” Eugene yelled, going to Jenny’s aid. The scrawny boy marched his way over to Greg. “Stop it, you’re hurting her!” Eugene ordered forcefully.

Jenny’s eyes had begun to sting. She hated crying in front of people. It made her feel smaller than she already was. She shot her tongue out at Greg, who had surprisingly stopped tugging her hair.

Greg was thirteen years old. He didn’t like being slighted by those younger than him, and Jenny knew that, but that never stopped her from speaking her mind or doing what she wanted to do. When he stopped, she thought for sure he was going to really hit her like he had done to Beth, but he didn’t. Instead, Greg narrowed his eyes sharply. They were like little daggers.

Jenny looked to Eugene. His eyes were brown and warm and brave. She felt bad for him. He was always there when someone was getting picked on. Unfortunately, when he stood up for them, he got the beating.

“What’d you jus’ say, runt?” Greg rolled up his sleeves.

Eugene glared at the boy. Greg was three years older than he was and was a good few inches taller than him, but that never seemed to bother him. He always stood up for what was right. Jenny could see him being a knight someday, like in the stories the nurses would read before they went to sleep. Eugene put his hands on his hips. “Did I stutter?” He got on his tiptoes as Greg closed in.

Greg gave Eugene a shove similar to how he had treated Jenny, but it was rougher, making Eugene stumble. “Back off!” Greg commanded harshly.

Eugene got his balance and stood his ground. “Why don’t you make me?”

Greg put on a mischievous smile. “You asked for it, you little _bastard_!”

Jenny gasped. She didn’t know what that word meant, but anytime someone said it in front of Eugene, he looked hurt. She turned to Eugene. His eyes began to swell with tears. He bared his clamped teeth as he let a growl slowly slip through his lips. Eugene threw the first punch, landing his fist in the bully’s arm.

Greg laughed at Eugene’s attempt to hurt him. “You’re nothin’!” He fastened his arm quickly around Eugene’s neck, putting him in a chokehold. “You ain’t never gonna get adopted.” The older boy started to twirl around with Eugene’s head still in his control. “You ain’t never gonna be anything! You’re gonna die here in this ol’ orphanage all by yourself!” Greg spat in Eugene’s face as Eugene gulped for air. “That’s what’s gonna happen to _you_!” Then, he shoved his fist into Eugene’s nose.

Jenny started to cry. She couldn’t take it anymore. “Stop it, you big dummy!” She begged, getting to her feet. Her little feet let her run as fast as she could to Eugene’s side. Tears were streaming down her dirty face as she hopped onto Greg’s back. “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!” She rolled her hands into tiny, fierce fists and began to bang on Greg’s head.

“Ouch! Get off me, you stupid excuse fir a gurl!” Greg promptly let go of Eugene and began to focus on Jenny.

Jenny didn’t care. She was happy that she was saving Eugene this time. It made her feel good inside. She knew he was hurt by what Greg had said. Although she didn’t understand why, she knew that it was bad and she had to stop Greg from being mean to Eugene. She had to. He was her hero.

By this time, Greg had swung the little seven-year-old over his shoulder and was kicking dust from the ground into her face.

Just then, one of the nurses came out onto the playground. This one had her ginger hair tied up in a messy bun. “That’s enough!” She hollered. Her name was Nadine. As she ran over to the fight, Jenny scrambled back to her feet and started to throw nasty punches at Greg. She didn’t really hurt him, but at least she tried. “I said…” Nadine huffed as she lifted Jenny into the air. “…that’s _enough_!” Jenny squirmed in her grasp, trying desperately to get out.

“Let me go, Nadine!” Jenny’s chestnut hair fell in her face as she struggled.

“Gregory Willy, follow me.” The nurse ordered firmly. No one disobeyed Nadine. She was the sweetest of all the nurses, unless something bad happened, then she was scary to most. Jenny wasn’t afraid of her though. She always tried to be braver than others perceived her to be.

As Jenny continued fidgeting, she heard the nurse gasp. “Eugene Fitzherbert!”

Jenny stopped fighting for a moment and threw her head in the skinny boy’s direction. Her big blue eyes locked in on him. His nose had a trail of blood leaking from it, dripping over his lips. Jenny almost started crying again. It was all her fault. Every time she tried to be a big girl, she failed epically. Anger bubbled up inside her. She wanted to set things right, or at least let the correct person be punished. “Greg did it! Greg punched Eugene!” She pointed to Greg, sticking her tongue out like she always did when she disapproved of someone.

Greg stuck up a finger at her and then hid it quickly behind his back before anyone else could see. Once again, she didn’t know what he meant by it, but obviously it was supposed to be mean. Jenny started to cry. “It’s all his fault!” She pointed again. _“His!”_

“Calm down, Jenny!” Nadine ordered. “We’ll get it all settled, I promise, just calm down.” She turned her attention back to the injured boy. “Come with us, Eugene.”

...........................

It seemed like an hour had past as they sat in Nadine’s office, even though they had been there for a little less than ten minutes. The chairs in there were not comfy at all; then again, none of the furniture in the orphanage was comfortable. Eugene sat there, slouched, with an old rag pressed to his nose. It smelled like sweat and dead leaves. Eugene twitched his throbbing nose and switched his focus to Jenny. She was so tiny and fragile. She didn’t deserve to be here. “…and that’s what happened.” Greg just finished lying about what lead up to Eugene’s bloody nose.

Jenny shook her head furiously. “That’s not what happened and you know it, Greg!” The little girl accused.

Greg cracked his knuckles.

Nadine looked to Eugene. “Eugene, would you like to tell me what happened?”

He could feel Jenny’s gaze burning into his face as she sat in the seat beside him. “Okay,” he began. “I was playing hide-and-seek when I saw Greg push Jenny…again. I stopped playing and went over and told him to stop. He told me to get lost. So I said—”

“I never said that, runt!” Greg cut in, cracking his knuckles again.

Eugene rolled his eyes. “I’m _paraphrasing_. Do you know what that word means?”

Greg began to growl, death gripping the chair’s arms. “It don’t matter!”

Eugene was smart for a boy his age. His nose was always in his favorite book _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_. He educated himself when the orphanage didn’t have school. He was actually the one that helped Jenny learn to read. He was quite proud of that, although he would never admit it out loud. “Anyways,” he continued, “things got a little out of hand. I’ll admit that I hit him first.”

He glanced at Jenny only to see her face horrified.

She shook her head. “But Greg was being mean to me, Nadine! Eugene _had_ to! Besides, Greg called Eugene a _bastard_!”

Nadine gasped, hearing what Jenny had just said.

Eugene looked to the ground. He could feel his face turning bright red out of embarrassment. He hated hearing that word, knowing that it was true. What made him feel worse was that Jenny had said it. No little girl should be saying words like that.

“What’s a bastard, Nadine?” Jenny asked, innocently. “Is it bad?”

“Jenny,” the nurse coughed awkwardly. “Please, don’t say that word ever again, okay? It’s not a nice word.”

The little girl crossed her arms, frustrated. “No one tells me _anything_.”

Eugene almost chuckled, but he didn’t, he couldn’t. That would have hurt him too much.

“Well,” Nadine said, “I can see who is at fault here.” She turned to the boys. “Greg, Eugene, you both will not be able to participate at the Festival of Lights this year.”

Eugene’s heart sunk. He liked seeing the lights. It made him think about the Lost Princess and the thing she stood for: hope. He would always have hope. He wanted to be just like Flynnigan Rider. Every night he would dream about being a rich, sword fighting, amazing looking man that traveled the world. Eugene didn’t care how he would become like him, but he would, somehow, some way.

Jenny’s jaw dropped. The Festival of Lights was her favorite event of the year. She was also the only person Eugene had told that he liked the lights. It was a nice bond they shared. So it didn’t surprise him when Jenny started to kick her feet on the chair in a tantrum. “But _Nadine_!” Jenny yelped. “Eugene _has_ to see the lights! Please! Can’t you make them do something else?” She pursed her lips, pouting.

Nadine was quiet for a moment. Her eyes looked into Eugene’s. He tried to look away, but he couldn’t. Nadine had that sort of power over the children. They couldn’t shake loose from her stare. Unintentionally, he pled through his eyes. He had to see the lights.

The nurse made the smallest smile. She looked to Greg, who had gotten bored of the situation and started picking the dirt out from underneath his fingernails. “Okay, Jenny,” Nadine caved. “I’ll pick a different punishment.” She tapped her finger to her chin.

Eugene waited for the verdict to be made.

After a moment of dead silence, Nadine grinned. “Greg, you will read this book,” she pulled out a novel from her desk.

Greg looked at the book with distain. The title of the book was _The Pirate of Corona._ After reading the title, Greg’s face perked up. “It’s about pirates?”

Nadine nodded. “Yes, but about a very specific pirate that has an amazing story about how he transformed himself from an evil villain to a decorated hero, but you have to have it finished in two days time, before the festival. Can you do that? I know you _hate_ reading.” She gave a wink to the children.

Greg nodded his head, eager to start. “Oh yes, ma’am! I’ll start reading right now!” He hopped off his chair and raced to his bed, opening the book.

Jenny crossed her arms again, not content with the decision made. “That’s not a punishment, Nadine!”

The nurse shrugged with a grin. “True, but it’ll keep him busy and maybe he’ll learn something.” She set her eyes on Eugene. “As for you,” she started. “You will have to be Jenny’s escort to and from the festival.”

Jenny’s eyes lit up.

“I know she’s a handful, but I think you can handle it, okay?”

Eugene smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

...................................

Jenny was so happy. That was the best punishment ever! Two days and she would have Eugene all to herself. Her cheeks hurt she was smiling so much. “Eugene!” Jenny called to her brave hero.

Eugene had been reading from his book when she beckoned him. He took his eyes off from the page. “Yes, Jenny?”

The little girl walked over to him. She tugged on his arm. “Can you make the festival be today, please?”

Eugene chuckled. He ruffled Jenny’s hair.

She hated it when people did that to her. It made her feel small, but she let it slide when Eugene did it. She adored him. She wished that she was a princess and he was a prince so that they could get married. Of course, she never said it to him. Nadine had told her all the tricks to a man’s heart. Not that she was actually paying attention. Her mind wandered more than the wind.

“I don’t think I can, but tell you what,” he cooed. “How about I read you a story about the famous Flynnigan Rider?”

Jenny smiled sweetly. That was an acceptable alternative. “Okay!”

..................................................

Eugene loved reading this book to the kids of the orphanage. Their expressions made his time there all worthwhile. But the most rewarding expression was from Jenny. She always seemed the most enthralled. He scooped Jenny into his arms and set her on his lap. She made him feel important. He was an only child. In some ways, he was happy about that. He didn’t mind being alone, and if he had had a sibling, he wouldn’t have been as happy. He would have to live the rest of his life knowing that his parents didn’t care about either of them. It made him feel less guilty when it was just him. But when he was with Jenny, he felt like an older brother, _her_ big brother. He always took extra good care of her. “Any requests?”

Jenny’s smile beamed. She leaned back against his arm. “The one when he saves the princess!”

He chuckled. He should have seen that one coming. It was her favorite. “Okay,” he flipped to the story with his free hand. “Flynnigan had just escaped from the hands of the evil witch lady. He was planning on sailing back to his island and plan out his next move, but that planning got interrupted by a call for help. A girl was trapped in a tower…”

.............................

Two days later, Eugene was guiding Jenny around the kingdom. He didn’t let go of her hand. This made Jenny ecstatic. She loved being with him. When someone would ask who they were, out of friendliness, Eugene would always address her as Jenny, his little sister. It filled her up with happiness.

It was only a few minutes away from the lights. Eugene had won a toy horse for a prize and given it to her. She was cuddling it as she clung tightly to him. She never wanted Eugene to leave her. She loved him with all her heart. She had to make sure he would be with her forever. “Eugene?” She held on to him a little tighter.

He looked down at her and flashed her a smile. “Yes?”

“Will you promise that you will be with me forever?”

Surprise took form on Eugene’s face. He didn’t answer right away, which startled Jenny. What was so hard about that question? Why couldn’t he answer it quickly? She wasn’t very patient. “Will you?” She asked again.

Eugene bit his lip and lessened his grip on Jenny. “Look…Jenny…”

Something was going on in his head; she could see it, something not good.

Then he released his lip. He let out a sigh as a small smile came to his face. “Of course,” he picked her up and let her jump on his back. Five seconds later, lanterns floated into the sky, filling them all with amazement and hope.

.............................

A month later, a couple came to the orphanage. They were young and happy. Eugene looked at them eagerly. _Maybe today I’ll be adopted_. He thought as the couple looked around the small building. They came his way and he tried to smile his brightest. But, just like usual, the couple overlooked him. They wanted a smaller child, preferable a little girl. That was when they saw Jenny. Eugene’s heart felt like it had been broken in two. He started to think that maybe they would move on to another girl, but deep down inside, he knew better. They would fall in love her, which they did.

He wanted to make her stay, but he couldn’t let himself do that. He wanted the best for Jenny, and the best wasn’t in the orphanage. Eugene could have died when they took her into their arms. “Would you like to come with us?”

“Yes, please!” She shined, not knowing that he couldn’t go with her. She didn’t find out until later when they were taking her away. “Wait, can Eugene come with us?”

The couple looked at each other uneasily. “I’m sorry, Jenny, but we can only take you.”

That was when the tears poured. Jenny threw the biggest tantrum of her life. She squirmed out of their arms and dashed to his side, clinging on so tight he couldn’t breathe. “You promised, Eugene!”

It felt like a knife was slicing his heart slowly. “Jenny…I…I…” he sighed. “You’ll be okay, I promise.” As soon as he said it, he wished could’ve taken it back. He cringed, bracing himself for Jenny’s protest.

Jenny shook her head. The dreadful look she gave him would be forever stained in the back of his mind. “How am I supposed to believe _this_ promise? You broke your _last_ one!”

Eugene walked over to the couple, tearing Jenny away from him. He handed her kicking and screaming to them with shaky hands. “Take good care of her…please?”

The wife almost cried. She cupped a hand over her mouth. “We will,” she gripped onto her husband’s shoulder.

“Are you her big brother?” The husband asked, eyeing him curiously.

Eugene almost said yes out of habit, but he couldn’t lie, even if saying yes meant they would have to take him along—it was the rule of the orphanage. He couldn’t do that to Jenny. They came for her, not him. He would have just been extra baggage. Plus, Jenny deserved every ounce of their undivided love. “No, sir…I’m not.”

The husband smiled for a moment. He placed a hand on Eugene’s head. “Thank you,” he said.

Eugene felt tears lining his eyelids. This was going to be the last time he saw Jenny. “Be good,” he choked.

Jenny was sobbing harder than she ever had before. “You _promised_ , Eugene!” She screeched. “You _promised_!”

That _was_ the last time Eugene ever saw Jenny. He regretted not lying to them. Maybe they would have liked him. Maybe they could have picked a different little girl. Maybe things would be different. From that day on, Eugene changed. He didn’t want to be reminded of Jenny, it hurt too much. He only read from the book when asked. All he wanted to do was get away from there.

A year later, he ran away from the orphanage, off to do whatever it took to erase the memory of Jenny and follow his dream.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :D Please let me know if you enjoyed the fic or what I could have done better. I'm always up for suggestions for new Tangled fics as well :) Thanks again!


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